Calculating-machine.



J. F. :vl/ws.l CALCULATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG- ISI?.v

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

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1. F. MAYS.

`CALCULATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.7,1917.

1,3011 ,073. Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

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l specification'.

sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MAYS, 0F BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO MAYS ACCOUNTING MACHINE COMPANY, 0F LEXINGTON, N 03TH CAROLINA.

NORTH CAROLINA, A CORPORATION OF CALCULATING-MACHINE.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JAMES F. Mars, a citizen of the United States, residing at Birmingham, in the county of J eiferson and vState of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Calculating-Machines, of which the, following is a The primary object of this invention is the provision of a key-actuated calculating machine of means for obtaining a uniforn depth of key stroke for the several keys in a column. l Y

In the specific form of my invention here illustrated, I accomplish this by causing the keys of lower denomination-P5 to 6 for example-to act upon the ,dia-l actuator indirectly, while the keys of higher denomination- 7 to 9, for. example-o erate upon said actuator through a series o compensating levers arranged to give the required differential movement to the actuator.

Another object of my present invention is to providel an improved 'form of locking I tical plate or mechanism for limiting the rebound of the key actuator.

Other objects will more fully appear from the following description.

The mechanism comprising my presentv invention is `disclosed in my copending application, Serial N o. 148,559, filed February 14., 1917.

In order to more fully describe my invention, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 represents in vertical central section, partly in elevation, a calculating machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 isa section on the line 3"-3 of Fig. 1; l

Fig. .4 is a section on theline 44x of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the rebound preventing mechanism.

Similar reference numerals refer to" similar parts throughoutthe several views of :the drawings.

They machine illustrated iny the accompanyingVK drawings comprises, among other arts, fa machine casing havlng a top l, a Eack plate 2, an intermediate transverse verpartition 3 interposed between the banks of keys 4 on one side and the oper- `Specication of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 15,1919.

1917. Serial No. 184,921'.

I ating mechanismfor the dials 5 on the other slde', which dials are mounted upon shafts 6 journaled at their inner ends on a bearing bar 7 attached to the partition 3, and at their outer ends in a cross bar 8 made fast to the lfront end of the machine (not shown). Below the banks of keys is arranged a bottom guide plate 9 made fast to the plates 2 and 3 and provided with holes to receive and form a bottom guide for the lower ends of thekey stems which at'the end of their down stroke engage the base plate 10 of the machine.

These key stems are Ymade of flattened metal strips having their lower portions within the 'casing twisted at right angles and provided with rack teeth ll, as seen in Figs. 4 and 5. These teeth 1l on each key are adapted to mesh with the teeth 1'2 of its respective toothed sector 13, one of which is made fast on each rocker shaft 14 opposite the 7, 8 and 9 keys of each column. The keys of lower denomination than 7 in each column carry a lateral pin 15 which projects into an elongated slot 16 at the outer end of a lever 17, 17, 17h, 17, 17d or 17e, as the case may be, each of these levers projecting at their rear ends through suitable slots' in the `back plate 2 and havin a pivotal bearing on pins 18 in a back brac et have lugs out-turned and made fast by screws 20 to the back plate.

The several keys from l to 6, inclusive, in each column, are severally connected to a corresponding lever 17, 17a,y etc., and these several levers for each column of keys are arranged in two banks of three each, one bank being arranged to pass on one side of the column of keys and of a .common rack key 21 and the other bank on the opposite side thereof. This rack key 21 carries a stepped cross bar 22 with offset shoulders of graduated height disposed to be engaged respectively by the levers ,17, etc., and to be moved downwardly thereby for the predctermined distance, depending on the denomination of the key depressed. The several levers have a variable stroke due to varying lengths and being pivoted at different distances from the common rack key 21, and this will bring the lower edges of thelevers at di'erent heights where they pass over the bar 22 for which reason it is desirable to shape the bar so that it will engage each I prefer to interpose the levers, as the operating connection between the first six keys of lower denomination in each column, as it would be difficult to work out a plan for the uniform key stroke with a direct connection without interposition'of some equivalent means, and I consider this form shown the simplest for my purposes. Each coml mon rack key 21 carries teeth 11 which mesh with teeth 12 on its respective sector 13 on shaft 14 and serve vto rotate the latter in the same manner as the teeth 11 on the key stems for the 7 8 and 9 keys.

As illustrated inA Fig. 1, I employ coil springs 23 which are fastened to the top plate 1 and one of which is connected to each key stem to effect its return after being l depressed. For the sake of clearness, in

Fig. 1 I have omitted all but one such springs. rI he lower end of either rack bar 21 carries a spring seat 24 which bears against a coil spring 25 surrounding its stem and interposed between the seat 24 and the bottom 9, thus providing for the return of the common rack keys. The upper end of these rack keys'` are received in angled guide plates 26 which are secured to the top plate 1 and extend down into position to engage the upper end of each rack bar so as to guide v it in all of its operating positions.` vEach of the key stems is provided with a supplemental set of teeth 27 below and spaced lfrom the teeth 11, and these teeth on each key are adapted to mesh with teeth 28 on a respective sector 29 made fast on a bottom rocker shaft 30 journaled in the plates 2 and 3.

As a. means for bringing the sectors 13 and 29 into toothed engagement with their respective key stems, I provide pins 31 and 32 on each key stem, and I provide each sector with an arm 33, it being noted in Fig. 5 that the arm 33 of sector 29 stands in engagement with the pin 32, whereas the arm of the sector 13 is in the path of, but is spaced substantially from its respective pin 31, The object of this is to cause each key stem as depressed to engage and impart a rocking movement to its respective lower rocker shaft 30 in advance of engaging and rocking its respective rocker shaft 14 through which it drives its respective dial. In other words, I provide what may be termed a lostwhen a Atial position, the lock pin 35 will engage motion driving connection between the key stems and the dial operating rocker shafts 14 with a positive driving connection to the lower or supplemental rocker shafts 30. The purpose of this will be understood by reference to Fig. 3, where it is seen that each corresponding pair of rocker shafts 14 and 30 carry fast thereon coacting lock pins 34V and 35 which are so disposed relatively that,

pair of shafts 14 and 30- are in iniunder and set at right angles to the lock pin 34 (see the pins on .the left hand shafts, Fig.

3). This position of the lock ins positively locks the dial operating sha ts 14 against movement and the preliminary movement imparted by pin 32, arm 33 and sector 29'to the rocker shaft 30, will rock the pin 35 to its upper dotted position, clearing the pin 34 in advance of the engagement of the key with the sector 13. After thepins are thus unlocked, both shafts are free to take the full movement imparted to them by the key depressed and on the return the pins will automatically resume their locked position, thus holding the dial operating shafts 14 locked at all times except after the keys have been substantially. depressed and prevent a rebound of the drive mechanism which imparts motion from the shafts 14'to the dials. y

The dial driving mechanism comprises a toothed sector 36 made fast on the forward end of each shaft-14 beyond the'plate 3. and meshin with a pinion 37 which turns freely on sha 6, and through a ratchet drive-imparts a connterclockwise movement, as viewed from the front, to the ratchet wheel 38 fast on the shaft 6. The inion 37 is returned to initial position wit the `sector 36 responsive to the action of a coil spring 39 on the shaft 14 and it is to p'revent a re-' bound fromathis return movement that the lock pins are provided.1 The counterclockwise movement imparted to the shaft 6 will advance the dial 5 proportionately with the Value of the keyV depressed.

It will be understood, of able mechanism may be provided for carrying from a dial of lower to higher denomination. Such mechanism, however, constitutes no part of my present invention.

Without limiting myself to the specific.-

mechanism herein shown, what I claim is 1. 'A calculatmg machine comprising a course, that suitv column of keys, a dial, key actuated dialV operating mechanism comprising an actuator directly driven by keys of hi her denomination in said column, and di erential leverage means forming a driving connection between said actuator and other keys of lower denomination in said column.

2. A calculating machine comiprising a column of keys, a dial, key actuated dial operating mechanism comprising an actuator,

. nation insaid column, levers operated by the keys of -lower denomination in said column, a n actuator common to the keys of lower denomination and driven by the levers operated by said keys and disposed to receive motion from each lever proportionate lto the value 0f the key controlling it, and

means to drive lsaid rock shaft :by said actuator.

4. A calculating machine comprising a column of keys, a dial o erating rock shaft actuated directly by the eys in said column ofy a denomination of seven and upward, levers operated by the keys of lower denomination than seven in said column, a common actuator for the keys from one to six, inclusive, and driven by said levers and disposed to receive a motion from each' lever proportionate to the value of the key controlling it, and means to drive said' rock shaft by said actuator;

5. Ina calculating machine, a column of keys, Ia number dial, a mechanism common to all of the keys of said column to rotate said dial, means directly driven by the keys of higher denomination tooperate said mechanism, and means driven indirectly by keys of lower denomination to operate said mechanism, each indirect drivmg means comprising pivoted levers each connected at its free end to a key, and an actuator common to al1 of said levers and adapted to engage the same at varying 'distances from their respective fulcrums and to transmit differential motion therefrom to the dial actuating mechanism.

6. In a calculating machine, a plurality of keys, a dial, dial actuating mechanism comprising a movable member common to said keys, a stop carried by said member, a supplementary movable member common to said keys, a stop carried by said second member and adapted to coperate with said rst- .mentioned stop to lock the first-mentioned member against rotation, means operable by the downward movement of a key to rotate said second member to unlock said first member, means operable by the same key to subsequentl operate said first-mentioned member, springs for returning said members to normal, the stop on the supplementary member acting to limit the rebound of the firstmentioned member.

7. In a calculating machine, a plurality of keys, a dial, dial actuating mechanism comprising a rocker shaft common to said keys, a stop carried by said shaft, a supplementary shaft, a stop carried thereby and adapted to coperate with said first-mentioned stop to lock said first mentioned| shaft against rotation, means operable by the downward movement of a key to rotate said second shaft to unlock the first shaft, means operable by the same key to subsequently operate the first-mentioned shaft, s rings for returning said shafts to normal, t e stop on the supplementary shaft actin to limit the rebound of the irst-mentione shaft.

In testimony whereof I ai-x my si atllre. AMES 'F. YS. 

